Cats Go For Number 2000-Drexel Is Incidental

Five days ‘til Christmas, the Cats stand at 11-0, and life is good for the Big Blue Nation. Before this season started, everyone in the college basketball universe knew that UK would not only get its 2000th program win this season, and that UK would be the first program to reach that milestone. Some even believed that it could happen before Christmas 2009, and if not certainly before Old Man Time rang in the New Year. However, this writer did not believe that it could happen as early as December 21, 2009 because that would translate into a perfect 12-0 start for the season.

Regardless of this fans’ expectation, I have heard Mitch Barnhart say in early November that UK was planning to celebrate this accomplishment on December 21, 2009, and when I heard him say that, I chuckled to myself, and commended him and his staff for their public display of a positive attitude and high expectations for this team. But, I did not really believe he could be serious. Now, I believe I was wrong all along, and yes, this team has deserved that level of confidence from those of us who observe from the outside.

The name of the opponent for this particular game is really simply an incidental factor, a name that will become the subject of trivia questions 5 or 10 years from now when the future old timers remember back to the day, and explain to the next generation of Big Blue Nation citizens about the grand history and tradition of this program.

Oh yeah, the answer to that trivia question will be DREXEL!!!!

This 11-0 [soon to be 12-0] start has forced the UKAA to rewrite certain portions of the UK Basketball record book..

• The 11-0 start is the best ever by a UK Coach in his first year; and

• The 11-0 start matches the 11-0 start of the 1992-93 Cats on their way to the Final Four.

Drexel will bring a 6-5 record into Monday night’s contest. Drexel has lost this season to Villanova by 19, Cornell by 7, Niagara by 7, Rutgers by 2, and St Joseph’s by 10 in OT. The Drexel’s 2 point win over Northeastern represents DREXEL’s highest rated victim thus far this season.

Drexel has averaged 62.4 ppg on 75.0 possessions per game, 0.831 points per possession, and they have allowed their opponents to score 60.3 ppg on 73.9 possessions, 0.816 ppp. Drexel’s turnover rate through 11 games is 17.4% while their opponents have committed turnovers on 19.9% of their collective possessions. On the Boards, Drexel has grabbed 32.7% of their own misses and limited their opponents to get 30.9% of their missed shots.

Kentucky has averaged 81.2 ppg on 71.8 possessions per game, 1.131 points per possession, and they have allowed their opponents to score 65.8 ppg on 70.9 possessions, 0.929 ppp. UK’s turnover rate through 10 games is 23.3% while their opponents have committed turnovers on only 20.5% of their collective possessions. On the Boards, the Cats have grabbed 46.3% of their own misses and limited their opponents to only 32.1% of their missed shots.

Based on this data for Drexel and the Cats for the 2009-10 season, the NGE analysis indicates a 22 point win for the Cats, 78-56 in a game that will be played at a pace about 73 possessions for Kentucky and 73 possessions for Drexel. The NGE analysis indicates an offensive efficiency of about 1.07 ppp with a defensive efficiency of about 0.77 ppp range. The pre-game magic number is 68 points.